Contents

Introduction p1

p7

Section 6 Health in Maybole p36

Section 7 Safety in Maybole p43

Section 8 Public Transport in Maybole p47

Section 9 Working and Learning in Maybole p53

Section 10 Community Involvement in Maybole p58

Section 11 Building on Local Community Assets p62

Section 12 A Guide to Action p74

1. Introduction

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1.1 Introduction

This report aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the local

assets and needs of Maybole, South Ayrshire.

The report is based on a community asset mapping project

commissioned by South Ayrshire Council, NHS Ayrshire and

Arran, and Maybole Community Council. This project was

designed to ensure that public services in the area are responsive

to the needs of Maybole and build on the strengths and

contributions of all of the community.

The research project was designed and managed by Social Value

Lab, with support from Scottish Participatory Initiatives (SPI),

between November 2011 and May 2012.

It was based on a participatory approach, involving a team of

local community co-researchers. All of the evidence provided in

this report was therefore gathered by local people, for local

people.

1.2 Background

Maybole is a small town situated in the southwest of Scotland,

some nine miles south of Ayr. It offers a scenic location and good

quality of life for most residents and is not readily identified as

being among the most deprived towns in Scotland.

NHS Ayrshire and Arran together with other local partners have

identified some worrying health and social inequalities evident in

Maybole. In particular, there has been concern that the town has

the lowest male life expectancy in South Ayrshire; one which is

well above the Scottish average (70.8 years compared to a

Scottish average of 80.8 years).

Public agencies and community leaders active have recognised

particular challenges in fully understanding the factors which

might positively influence health and wellbeing in Maybole.

Together they have agreed that ‘asset-based’ approach to

improving health is important.

This asset-based approach recognises that as well as having

needs and problems, all communities have important social,

cultural and material assets. Identifying these assets can help

communities to overcome the health challenges they face.

The more familiar ‘deficit’ approach focuses on problems, needs

and deficiencies. It designs services to fill the gaps and fix the

problems. As a result, a community can feel disempowered and

dependent; people can become passive.

The asset approach does not replace investment in improving

services or tackling the structural causes of health inequality. The

aim is to achieve a better balance between service delivery and

community building.

1.3 Objectives of the project

The detailed objectives of this project were to:

Establish the localised needs of the community of Maybole in

relation to the South Ayrshire Community Planning/Single

Outcome Agreement (SOA) themes.

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Build a comprehensive profile of individual, community, public

and voluntary sector, cultural, physical and environmental

assets in Maybole.

Increase community engagement and participation and create

greater social connections between those who live (and work)

in Maybole.

Explore and pursue new and more effective ways of improving

outcomes in Maybole in relation to the community

planning/SOA themes.

Increase community capacity to undertake basic engagement,

research and investigation.

1.4 The method

The research project involved a number of main stages.

1.4.1 Background data

The first stage of the research was to build an understanding of

Maybole by gathering available statistical evidence. This allowed

us to have a clear picture of Maybole. Information was gathered

from the South Ayrshire Council, Scottish Neighbourhood

Statistics, Office of National Statistics, Department for Work and

Pensions and 2001 Scottish Census data. More local information

was gathered from both the Carrick Centre and the Maybole

Community Council website.

1.4.2 Stakeholder workshop

At an early stage a ‘stakeholder workshop was held in Maybole

Town Hall. This session brought together public agencies and

community leaders with an important role to play in Maybole. It

gave participants an understanding of the aims of the project, and

started the process of mapping Maybole’s assets now and those

that will be important in the future. It also provided an

opportunity to identify what stakeholders wanted to get from the

project and how their needs could be met through the research.

1.4.3 Community co-researchers

A key part of the project was to train local residents as

community co-researchers. By having local residents carry out the

‘asset mapping’ survey, there was a greater opportunity to reach

as wide a cross-section of the Maybole population as possible

(especially those people who may not otherwise participate in

local decision-making and community life). Through training local

researchers it was also intended that local people would develop

important new skills and the town would have available to it a

pool of residents with the skills and confidence to facilitate future

community research and consultation work.

Recruitment for the project was carried out through various

channels; posters and leafleting locally, a mymaybole.org project

website, a ‘mymaybole’ Facebook page, articles in the local press,

and promotion through local agencies and community networks.

Through this process 11 residents took part in the Community

Researcher Training facilitated by SPI, with nine participants going

out into the community to carry out the Asset Mapping Survey.

Residents who took part in the training and carrying out surveys

were remunerated for their time.

1.4.4 Community researcher training

Local researchers took part in a full day of training to:

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build upon the local volunteers own experiences and skills

to set realistic engagement objectives, design processes

and select tools for facilitating effective meetings,

consultation and involvement of stakeholders/ local people

of all ages and abilities;

identify ways to break through barriers for effective

meetings, consultation and involvement of more than the

‘usual faces’;

demonstrate how to use rigorous facilitation tools for

facilitating effective public meetings and semi-structured

interviews with individuals and groups;

brief the local volunteers about the Maybole Community

Asset Mapping project; and

to plan the survey logistics.

1.4.5 Community asset mapping survey

In order to collect the views of local residents, an asset mapping

survey was developed and facilitated by local researchers.

All of the questions in the survey reflected the issues that project

partners wished to cover, as well as issue and ideas that came out

of the initial stakeholder workshop. In order to make the survey as

visual as possible and to collect mapped data about community

assets, the majority of the survey was based around a map of

Maybole. In conjunction with this there were all a set of rating

questions where respondents were able to rate their feelings

towards Maybole, (services, facilities, and community safety, etc.)

out of ten. Below each rating question was an open set of

questions for respondents to explain and map their views, and to

add any ideas or improvements.

In order to ensure a large and representative sample of local

views, quotas were applied to ensure adequate representation for

all categories of age and gender. These quotas were achieved as

community researchers approached friends and family, knocked

on the doors of local homes, and gathered views in local shops,

facilities, and as part of organised group activities.

1.4.6 Consultation with children and young people

In order to ensure that the views of children and young people

were adequately represented, a consultation was carried out with

pupil representatives from Cairn Primary, Gardenrose Primary, St.

Cuthbert’s RC Primary and Carrick Academy.

As a part of this process pupils identified on maps the locations of

things that they like in Maybole and things that they don’t. The

pupils also used simple visual tools to map their ideas about what

could be improved or developed in Maybole in the future.

In addition, consultation with young people was carried out by

Community Researchers at several youth groups based on the

asset mapping survey.

1.4.7 Analysis and reporting

On completion of the consultation, the community researchers

took part in a whole day session to collate the data gathered.

This session began with training on how to collate the data from

the asset mapping. Researchers then collated a master map that

tracked the location of respondents and categorised, collated and

(where possible) mapped evidence from each survey question.

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Once the data was collated it was further analysed by Social

Value Lab using a professional survey package and mapped using

graphic design software.

The main findings were then presented back to the project

steering group by Social Value Lab as a series of themed charts

and maps. This gave the group an opportunity to see the

preliminary outcomes of the consultation and to discuss the best

way to present this data. A final Feedback and Action Planning

session was held on 13 June in the Town Hall. Involving public

sector and community representatives, this explored local

priorities and began building an associated plan of action.

1.5 Responses to the consultation

In total 476 Maybole residents shared their views as part of the

Asset Mapping Survey spanning both genders and covering all

age ranges (under 16 to 66+).

The breakdown presented in Figure 1.1 shows the number of

responses by age category and the data displayed in Figure 1.2

shows an approximately even spread by gender. This broadly

mirrors the population characteristics of Maybole itself, and

represents a representative cross-section of the local population.

The map on the following page also shows the location of

respondents that were willing to provide these details. Again this

shows that the views of people from across the town were

reflected in the consultation.

The overall number of respondents has also ensured that the

findings are statistically relevant and can be used confidently to

reflect the views of the entire population of Maybole.

Fig.1.1 Age Breakdown of Respondents

Fig. 1.2 Gender Breakdown of Respondents

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Location of

Respondents

Map 1

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.1 About Maybole

2. About Maybole

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2.1 Location and population assets

Maybole is a small town situated in southwest Scotland, just nine

9 miles south of Ayr. It is accessible by a local Railway Station and

several bus routes. The current population of Maybole is

approximately 4,759 with a roughly even gender split (51% male,

49% are female).

2.2 Housing assets

The housing stock in Maybole includes a mix of house types and

tenures (See Fig 2.1). The predominant house types locally are

Flats and Terraced House, which each account for 30% each of

the housing stock.

Fig 2.1 Housing Stock in Maybole

2.3 Environmental assets

Maybole is set in a scenic rural location, sitting on a steep hillside

with impressive views of the Southern Uplands. Local residents

have access to the countryside around the town, and good access

to the nearby the Culzean Castle and the coastline. The town has

several green spaces including the Glebe Park and the Town

Green. It has also a popular nine hole golf course and two bowling

clubs (Maybole Bowling Club and Memorial Park Bowling Club).

2.4 Historic and cultural Assets

Maybole is steeped in local history, as the ancient capital of

Carrick. With such history comes a number of historic assets,

including the Castle which dates back to 1560 and the Town Hall,

built in 1887. In addition to the Castle and the Town Hall, the High

Street is also home to the Parish Church, now disused, which was

built in 1808. To the south of Maybole there are medieval remains

of an Abby, including the church and cloister. The town also has

connections to Robert Burns, who spent a period of his youth

living and working in Maybole.

2.5 Socio-economic assets

Overall the quality of life in Maybole is good, with only limited

pockets of recognised deprivation.

The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) has ranked

Maybole as having low levels of deprivation in most respects.

According to SIMD statistics, overall Maybole ranks 3 out of 20

(with 20 being the highest level of deprivation). The data in Figure

2.3 shows some variation across aspects of deprivation, with

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particular issue evident in relation to access to transport and

services.

Fig.2.3 Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation scores for Maybole

Although ‘health deprivation’ is generally very low in Maybole

ScotPHO statistics have revealed relatively high rates of mortality,

smoking, and hospital admissions (due to alcohol and drugs, road

traffic accidents, accidents in the home), etc.

Likewise, while ‘work deprivation’ is generally low (and 79% of the

adult population are in some form of paid employment) DWP

figures suggest some challenges with worklessness and youth

unemployment.

2.6 Physical assets

Maybole has at its disposal a wide range of buildings and other

physical assets to support improvements in quality of life in the

town.

In additional to the buildings of historic and cultural interest

already noted the town has, for example:

Places where the community can come together for activities

and events (Town Hall, Carrick Centre, and Community Wing at

Carrick Academy)

Places of learning, including the Library and Community

Education Centre

Places of education, including three Primary Schools and one

Secondary School.

Places for leisure, including the swimming pool, outdoor sports

pitches and a golf course

Place to eat, shop and drink, including a collection of small

independent shops and other commercial amenities

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3. Living in Maybole

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3.1 Views on Living in Maybole

As a part of the assets mapping survey, community researchers

asked respondents to rate from zero to ten how much they like

living in Maybole. ‘Zero’ being they do not like living in Maybole at

all to ‘ten’, they very much enjoy living in Maybole.

In general respondents gave a positive assessment (Fig 3.1), with

very few respondents indicating that they did not like living in

Maybole at all. Two thirds of respondents (68%) rated their

satisfaction with living in Maybole a ‘seven’ or above.

This generally positive response reflects the many positive assets

that Maybole has, its rich history, rural location and services and

facilities.

The following section examines in more detail the positive views

on living in Maybole and the assets most appreciated by local

people.

Fig 3.1 How would you rate living in Maybole?

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3.2 The ‘Top Ten’ Assets to build on

Having asked respondents to rate their experience of living in

Maybole, Community researchers then asked respondents to list

which assets in Maybole that they particularly liked.

Fig. 3.2 shows the ‘Top Ten’ assets that respondents mentioned

most frequently.

Of this ‘Top Ten’, the physical assets (buildings/facilities) that

were mentioned most frequently (by 23% of respondents) were

the four local schools. Other physical assets important to

respondents included the Maybole Swimming Pool (22%) and the

local shops in Maybole (13%).

As well as physical assets, many respondents also mentioned

social, cultural and community assets. The overall most frequently

reported asset, was the good Community Spirit that people

perceive Maybole to have. This was mentioned by 31% of all

respondents. Many respondents (14%) also mentioned that their

roots in the town were important to them i.e. their family and

friends.

The location of Maybole also came through as being very

important, with many mentioning its beautiful countryside setting

(23% of respondents). Several respondents also reported that

Maybole’s close proximity to surrounding towns was an asset

(12%) as was its public transport links (11%).

There were some other assets (outside of the ‘top 10’ listed) that

respondents mentioned but less frequently, sometimes by only

one or two people.

Fig. 3.2 Top Ten Assets to Build on

3.2.1 Mapping Maybole’s Positive Assets

As well as asking respondents to report what they liked most

about living in Maybole, Community Researchers also asked them

to map these assets. This then allowed for thematic maps to be

developed, visualising Maybole’s positive assets.

The following thematic maps have been developed:

Places to shop eat and drink: this map visualises

restaurants, pubs, cafes and shops that respondents like in

Maybole (Map 3.1) which are mainly located along the high

street.

Community Activity and Services: this map shows the

location of local activities and services taking plan in

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community buildings (Carrick Centre, Town Hall etc) and

other spaces. (Map 3.2)

Heritage, Open Spaces and Environment: this map

visualises the most well liked historic buildings and green

spaces. (Map 3.3).

Publicly provided services: this map shows public services

in Maybole that respondents felt were positive assets to

the town.

The coloured dots indicate the number of times mapped by

respondents and the associated location of these positives. A

cluster of dots therefore indicates a particularly important asset.

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Positives: Places to Shop, Eat & Drink

Map 3.1

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Positives: Community Activity & Spaces

Map 3.2

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Positives: Heritage, Open Spaces and Environment

Map 3.3

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Positives: Publicly Provided Services

Map 3.4

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3.3 The ‘Top Ten’ Negatives to Address

Community Researchers also asked respondents to consider what

they disliked about living in Maybole. Responses are presented in

Figure 3.3.

The response most frequently mentioned negative aspect of life in

Maybole (mentioned by two-thirds of respondents) was the

congested, busy and dangerous A77/High Street running through

the town.

Empty, derelict and rundown buildings also featured highly as a

negative (25% respondents recorded this as an issue).

Social and Environmental issues also featured heavily an issue,

including problems with dog fouling (20% of respondents), Litter

(12%) and Anti-Social Behaviour (13%).

The variety and small number of shops in Maybole occurred

frequently as an issue, with 12% reporting that a better variety of

shops would be a positive improvement for retail in the town.

In addition to the main of negatives listed, community

Researchers also recorded several additional assets that

respondents felt were a problem or issue in Maybole, although

there were not frequently mentioned and also appeared as a

positive for many.

Fig. 3.3 ‘Top Ten’ Negatives to Address

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3.3.1 Mapping Negatives to be addressed

Community Researchers also asked respondents to map assets

that they were not happy with in Maybole. This then allowed for

thematic maps to be developed, visualising where there these

negative issues occurred.

Five thematic maps have been developed as follows:

Litter and Open Spaces: this map shows where respondents

have mapped issues of litter and dog fouling as well as open

spaces that they feel could be improved.

Places to Shop, Eat and Drink: this map highlights commercial

amenities that respondents mapped as needing addressed for

improvement.

Traffic and Parking: this map highlights issues with traffic

congestion and where respondents think there is a problem

with parking in the town.

Community Safety Issues: this map shows the location of

perceived community safety issues in the town, including

dangerous traffic and anti-social behaviour.

Again the frequency of dots, and their clustering, indicates

‘hotspots’ of negative issues are occurring.

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Negatives: Litter & Open Spaces

Map 3.5

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Negatives: Places to Shop, Eat and Drink

Map 3.6

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Negatives: Traffic & Parking

Map 3.7

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Negatives: Community Safety Issues

Map 3.8

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4. Facilities in Maybole

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4.1 Views on Local Facilities

Maybole contains a number of main public and community

buildings that contribute greatly to community life. These are

identified on the map on the following page.

Community researchers asked respondents to rate how much

they liked local facilities in Maybole, ‘Zero’ being that they do not

like local facilities at all to ‘ten’, that they really like local facilities.

Generally, respondents reported a positive view of local facilities

(Fig 4.1). Just over half of respondents (58%) rated their

satisfaction with local facilities in Maybole with a ‘seven’ or above.

The following section examines those buildings and other physical

assets that were most widely appreciated by respondents.

Fig 4.1 How would you rate Local Facilities in Maybole?

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Map 4.1

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4.2 ‘Top Ten’ Facilities People Like

Community researchers asked people in the town to identify

which facilities they liked most in Maybole. Figure 4.2 highlights

the ‘Top Ten’ facilities that were mentioned most frequently.

The most frequently mentioned facilities that people like in

Maybole were the Swimming Pool (39%), Golf Course (26%), and

Carrick Centre (25%). Many people (25% of respondents) also

reported that they thought there were all-round good facilities in

Maybole.

The town Library also featured in ‘Top Ten’ (17% reported this) as

did the towns Bowling Greens (15%), Schools (15%) and Shops

(11%).

In addition to the ‘top ten’ liked facilities, there were some other

less frequently reported facilities, including: Sports Facilities,

Parks, All Weather Pitches and Recycling Facilities.

Fig.4.2 ‘Top Ten’ Facilities People Like

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4.3 Unused Physical Assets

The Community Researchers asked local residents to comment on

the unused buildings in Maybole that were considered important.

4.3.1 Views if underused buildings

The unused Co-Op building on the High Street was most

frequently mentioned (by 60% of respondents) as being of

importance to the town. The Old Parish Church at the west end of

the High Street also featured prominently in responses (22%).

Several other unused buildings were mentioned less frequently

respondents including the numerous empty shops on the high

street (7%), the Castle located on the High Street (7%) and the

Garage on Kirckoswald Road (7%).

Other unused or derelict buildings in local people’s ‘top 10’ are

identified in Figure 4.3, opposite.

4.3.1 Mapping underused buildings

As well as asking which unused buildings in Maybole were

important to them, respondents also asked them to map these

buildings. The following map visualises the unused buildings

reported by respondents. The coloured dots indicate the location

of assets reported by respondents and a cluster of dots indicates

a particularly important unused building.

Fig. 4.3 Unused Physical Assets

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Unused Physical Assets

Map 4.2

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4.4 Suggested Improvements

Community Researchers also asked local people to consider what

improvements they would like to see made to existing facilities.

Of all the improvements suggested, a by-Pass around Maybole

was clearly the most frequently mentioned (by 59% of

respondents). This is consistent with the previously noted

concerns about dangerous and busy roads in the town, and

considered important to the vibrancy of all local facilities.

Improvements and upgrades to a variety of other facilities were

also identified by respondents, but to a much greater extent.

These included improvements to leisure facilities (16%), youth

activities (15%), the high street (12%), shopping facilities (11%), and

the supermarket (10%).

Environmental improvements and upgrades were also suggested

by respondents. For example, 8% suggested that Litter Bins or

Litter picking would be an improvement to the environment

around local facilities.

A ‘top 10’ list of facilities can be found in Figure 4.4. Less

frequently mentioned improvements outside of this list, included

new school buildings, more restaurants and cafes, and a local

cinema.

Fig 4.4 What would improve Facilities in Maybole?

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5. Services in Maybole

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5.1 Views on Local Services

Community Researchers asked local people to rate from ‘Zero’ to

‘Ten’ how much they liked local services in Maybole. (a score of

‘Zero’ meaning that they do not like the local services at all and

‘Ten’ they really like local services).

In general respondents were satisfied with the services available

in Maybole (Fig 5.1). Two-thirds of respondents rated their level of

satisfaction with services with a ‘seven’ or above. Only 7% of

respondents rated services at less than 5 out of 10.

There was praise for both the range and quality of services

available.

The following section will discuss in more detail the local services

most appreciated by the people of Maybole.

Fig.5.1 Views on Local Services

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5.2 Services People Like

Once respondents had rated their view on local services, they

were then asked to report on which local services they liked most

(see Figure 5.2 for the ten most frequently reported responses).

The most common view among respondents was that basic

services in Maybole were good (57% of respondents). They were

unable to identify any single service of particular merit.

Where respondents were able to pinpoint services that they

especially appreciated, the most frequently identified services

were Emergency Services generally (17%), Police in particular

(10%), Public Transport (9%), Post Office (7%), Health Services

(6%), Street Sweeping/Winter Gritting (4%), Recycling services

(4%), Library (3%),and Schools (3%).

In addition to the ‘Top Ten’ were a number of other services

mentioned with less frequency, which included: Good Doctors,

Good Dental Services, and Good Care Homes.

Fig.5.2 ‘Top Ten’ Services People Like

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5.3 Services People Dislike

Community Researchers also asked respondents to report which

local services they were not happy with or did not like. Figure 5.3

shows the ten most frequent responses.

The most common service issue mentioned by some margin was

that there were Not Enough Police (38% of respondents).

Roads and Transportation issues were also reported frequently.

This included issues relating to Potholes not being fixed (23% of

respondents) and Pavements and Roads not being adequately

gritted in the winter (7%).

Environmental related services also featured prominently as a

concern, with Bins and Litter Collection being the most notable

issue here (12%), and Glass/Litter in public places (7%) and Street

Sweeping being related but less frequently mentioned issues.

Outside of the ‘top 10’ issues identified in Figure 5.3, other less

frequently noted issues mentioned included Having to share

services with surrounding villages, GP’s not being available out of

hours, the Dental Surgery being very busy and long waits for

prescriptions.

Fig.5.3 ‘Top Ten’ Services People Dislike

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5.4 Suggested Improvements

Respondents were then asked to provide suggestions on how

local services could be improved. The ten most common

responses are shown in Figure 5.4.

From the survey, around one-in-five respondents (21%) were

unable to point to specific improvements, citing the importance of

a general increase or improvement to services.

Where respondents were able to make specific recommendations

these most commonly related to Extra Police (24% of

respondents).

The other suggested improvements mirrored the issues raised by

residents, including litter, shopping and public transport.

Fig.5.4 ‘Top Ten’ Suggested Improvements to Services

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6. Health in Maybole

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6.1 Perceptions of Health

The asset mapping survey explored health in Maybole, starting

with people’s perceptions of their own health.

6.1.1 General views

Respondents were asked to rate from ‘Zero’ to ‘Ten’ how healthy

they feel (‘Zero’ meaning that they do not feel healthy at all and

‘Ten’ that they feel extremely healthy).

The responses shown in Figure 6.1 show that respondents

generally viewed their health with confidence and satisfaction.

The majority of respondents rated their health with a ‘seven’ or

above (82%).

Fig.6.1 How Healthy do you feel?

6.1.1 Positive aspects of health

When asked to consider and report on the positive aspects of

their health respondents found it difficult to be specific. The most

common response was that people consider themselves Usually

Fit and Well (78% of respondents).

Where respondents were able to be specific they generally

pointed to physical activity (active lifestyle, plenty of exercise,

walk everywhere, swim daily) and the absence of smoking and

drinking as major factors contributing to their positive health.

Figure 6.2 sets out the responses in more detail.

Fig.6.2 What is good about your health?

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6.1.2 Negative aspects to be addressed

When asked to report on what was bad about their health

respondents were generally more aware of negative health-

related behaviours.

The most frequently reported negative aspects of health related

to Smoking (27% of respondents) and being Overweight (26%).

Another 23% of respondents identified some form of Long term

illness as being a problem.

Aspects of health relating to older age also featured as factors

contributing to poor health, with many respondents reporting

Occasional aches and pains (19%), Not being able to walk as far

(4%), Reduced mobility (1%) and a Feeling of loneliness (1%).

A full breakdown is presented in Figure 6.3.

Fig 6.3 What is bad about your health?

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6.2 Views on Health Services

The consultation also examined views on those services intended

to improve health in the town.

6.2.1 General views on health services

Local people were asked to rate how much they like the Health

Services in Maybole (‘Zero’ meaning that they do not like the

Health Services at all, to ‘Ten’ that they really like them).

Consistent with other feedback, respondents generally viewed

health services in a very positive light. Overall, 78% of

respondents rated these services a ‘seven’ or above out of ten.

Fig.6.4 How would you rate Health Services in Maybole?

6.3.2 Positive aspects of health services

Respondents where then asked what they liked about health

services in Maybole. Figure 6.5 shows the ten most common

responses.

The most frequently recorded response was that the Health

Centre had Good doctors (46% of respondents). This linked to

very positive statements regarding Availability (22%), Good

service (19%), Staff friendly and helpful (12%), and A good variety

of services under one roof (11%).

Fig.6.5 ‘What do you like about health services in Maybole?

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6.2.3 Negative aspects of health services

Respondents were also asked what they did not like about Health

services locally.

Other than some dissatisfaction with some doctors, the responses

set point to an interrelated set of issues relating to access. This

includes not being able to get appointments right away (57%),

restricted opening hours at the Health Centre (12%), Dentist

having a long waiting list (7%), the Health Centre not being open

at the weekends (5%), emergency services response times (3%)

and pharmacy opening hours (1%). Figure 6.6 provides a

breakdown of responses.

Fig.6.6 What do you not like about health services in Maybole ?

6.2.4 Awareness of drug and alcohol services

As a supplementary question, local residents were asked whether

they were aware of specific support services to address issues

relating to drugs and alcohol.

The responses presented in Figure 6.7 show that the majority of

the population are aware of these specialist support services,

although one-in-four respondents did report a lack of awareness.

Fig.6.7 Awareness of drug and alcohol services

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6.3 Suggested improvements

The community researchers explored ways to improve both

health and the services that support improved health.

6.3.1 Improvements to health

The Community Researchers invited local people to suggest

improvements that they could make to their own health better.

The most frequently recorded response was that a gym in

Maybole would be useful to people (25% of respondents). This

theme of physical activity featured in other common responses,

such as Go for more walks (10%), Take more exercise (8%), and

Yoga or Pilates (6%).

Other interventions perceived to be important related to healthy

weight (Better diet, Weight Watchers), health advice, social

activity, and smoking cessation.

Figure 6.8 provides a breakdown of the most common responses.

Fig.6.8 Do you have any ideas how you could improve your health?

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6.3.2 Improvements to Health Services

Maybole residents were also asked to suggest improvements to

local Health Services.

Respondents most frequently reported improvements to the

availability and frequency of services at the Health Centre. This

included improvements such as having Weekend appointments

(22%), More appointments available (17%), Better opening times

(16%), More clinics, a Walk in service (10%), More doctors (9%),

and Earlier appointment times (6%).

The most commonly raised suggestions are provided in Figure

6.9.

Fig.6.9 What would make Health Services better in Maybole?

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7. Safety in Maybole

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7.1 Perception of safety in Maybole

The Community Researchers asked local people to rate from

‘Zero’ to ‘Ten’ how safe they feel in Maybole, ‘Zero’ being they do

not feel safe at all and ‘Ten’ being they feel very safe.

Overall, respondents recorded positive ratings, with 71% rating

their feeling of safety in the town with a ‘seven’ or above. (Fig 7.1)

Fig.7.1 How would you rate your feeling of Safety in Maybole?

7.2 Reasons why people feel safe

Respondents were then asked to record the reasons why they feel

safe in the town.

The most common response was that ‘I feel very safe’ (33% of

respondents), indicating a general perception of safety in the

town but no specific factors to suggest otherwise.

Other responses point to a feeling of familiarity with the town. For

example respondents felt well known and know others (33%),

have never experienced problems personally (19%), that the town

is quiet and secure (12%) and feels very safe during the day.

The feedback suggests that the presence of a Police Station (2%),

the Police Staff being generally helpful (9%) and CCTV camera’s

around the town (2%) contribute to this feeling of safety.

A full breakdown of the most common responses is provided in

Figure 7.2.

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Fig.7.2 Reasons why you feel safe in Maybole?

7.3 Reasons why people feel unsafe

Respondents were then asked to consider the flipside; any

reasons why they feel unsafe in the town (Fig 7.3).

Respondents reported most frequently that they do not go out at

night (22%), particularly older people, as a time when they feel the

least safe.

This relates to a range of issues frequently raised in relation to

anti-social behaviour, including problems of alcohol and drugs at

night, untrustworthy/unknown people, people hanging around at

night, groups of young people, etc.

Road safety also emerged as a significant concern, with

dangerous/fast traffic identified as a concern by one-in-in five

respondents.

Fig.7.3 Reasons why you do not feel Safe in Maybole?

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7.4 Suggested improvements

Once respondents had recorded their feelings on safety in

Maybole, they were asked to report anything that would improve

their feeling of safety in the town (Fig 7.4).

The most frequently recorded suggestion by some margin was to

Increase the Police presence in the town (51% of respondents).

There were a range of suggestions on increasing the perception of

safety in the evening, including more community police at night,

activities for young people, in the evenings, and improved lighting

on streets and in public places.

There was strong feedback from the survey that road safety

issues could be address by having a By-pass around Maybole

(23% of respondents).

A full breakdown of the most frequently provided responses is

provided in Figure 7.4.

Fig.7.4 What would improve your feeling of safety in Maybole?

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8. Public Transport in

Maybole

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8.1 Views of Public Transport

Maybole is served by a local train station and by a variety of bus

routes and stops throughout the town. These are shown in the

map on the next page.

Local people were asked to rate from ‘Zero’ to ‘Ten’ how much

they liked Public Transport services in Maybole, ‘Zero’ being that

they do not like the services at all and ‘Ten’ being that they much

like the services.

Respondents were generally very positive with the Public

Transport available to them in Maybole, with four-in-five rating

Public Transport a ‘six’ or above. See Figure 8.1.

The following pages go on to discuss in more detail the reasons

the things that Maybole residents like most and least about Public

Transport services in the town.

Fig.8.1 How would you rate Public Transport in Maybole?

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Map 8

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8.2 Areas of satisfaction with Public Transport

Respondents were asked to record what they liked about Public

Transport in Maybole, and provided a range of reasons for their

satisfaction with services (Fig 8.2).

Respondents most frequently commented on the quality of buses

(by just over half of respondents) and also with train services

(31%).

Respondents also recorded general satisfaction with the quality of

services, which were considered as mostly being on time (7%) and

Mostly clean (5%). People also reported that they are happy with

the Links to Ayr and Surrounding towns (3%).

Many respondents (29%), however, also reported that they don’t

use public transport, perhaps having private transport available to

them.

Fig.8.2 What do you like about Public Transport in Maybole?

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8.3 Areas of dissatisfaction with Public Transport

Likewise respondents were asked to record what they did like

about Public Transport. Figure 8.3 highlights the most frequently

recorded comments.

The most commonly reported issue was that Tickets for public

transport are expensive (28%).

Respondents also recorded issues with the timing and regularity

of Railway Services, including poor train services (24%) and train

times not be at useful times, especially to arrive in Glasgow in

time for work (17%).

Some dissatisfaction was also recorded in relation to bus services,

including a generally poor bus service (11%), buses not running on

time (8%), and routes not being useful to passengers (7%).

More general, but less frequently voiced concerns related to the

availability of services in the (6%), services being very busy (5%)

and poor Sunday and Weekend services (3%).

In addition to this list, there were also some issues that were less

frequently recorded that included having a long walk to the

station, needing more Bus stops throughout the town, and there

being a lack of communication when services are cancelled at

short notice.

Fig.8.3 What do you not like about Public Transport in Maybole?

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8.4 Suggested Improvements

Respondents were then asked to suggest any ideas they had to

make Public Transport better in Maybole. Figure 8.4 provides the

responses.

The most commonly reported suggestion was to Provide better

bus services (26%). This linked to ensuring that Buses run to

timetable (5%) and for them to have more space to accommodate

buggies and prams (3%).

Improvements to Railway services were also frequently recorded

with ideas such as, Increase the frequency of trains (24%),

providing a Better rail service in general (19%) and having Trains

run later (2%).

General improvements to both Rail and Bus services recorded

included, services having Cheaper tickets (19%), More regular

services (13%) and Buses and Trains being Cleaner (6%).

There were also a number of other suggestions that were

reported much less frequently (not included in the ‘top 10’ list)

such as having earlier warnings for cancelled or delayed trains,

better public transport connections to surrounding villages and

improving facilities for disabled people travelling on Public

Transport.

Fig.8.4 What would improve Public Transport in Maybole?

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9. Working & Learning in

Maybole

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9.1 The employment and business base

The survey explored opportunities to work locally.

There are more than 100 places of employment in the town of

Maybole and many more companies in the surrounding area. The

mapping exercise identified 151 businesses locally. Many of these

are mapped on the following page.

As part of the asset mapping survey, respondents who were in

work were asked to indicate whether they worked locally (in or

near Maybole). One-third (34%) did work locally.

9.2 Access to employment and enterprise

Community Researchers also asked all respondents to suggest

ways to make it easier to find work or start up a business locally.

The single most frequently suggested way to increase

employment was to open a Job Centre in the town (24%); this

was linked to the suggestion for better advertising of jobs (6%).

Many also suggested the need to bring more jobs to the town

(14%) and attract inward investment (5%).

Common suggestions in relation to business formation included

Start-up grants/incentives (10%), Investment in local business

(6%), Access to High street units (4%), help from Business

Gateway, and Reduce rents (2%) for business.

Figure 9.1 provides a full breakdown on the most frequent

suggestions. Other less common suggestions included

encouraging more business by improving the High Street,

encouraging more shops in order to increase retail employment

and opening a service similar to the ‘One Stop Shop’.

Fig.9.1 What would make it easier to find a job/start a business in

Maybole?

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Local Businesses in Maybole

Map 9

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9.3 Current skills

Given that people are the single most important asset of any

settlement, the survey attempted to build up a picture of the skills

available to Maybole. Respondents were therefore asked to record

what skills they possessed, and wide variety of skills were

reported.

The most frequently reported skills were ICT (Information

Computing Technology) (13%), Administration skills (11%)

Construction (8%) and Engineering (8%).

The ‘top 10’ most common skills are shown in Figure 9.2. Other

less frequently mention skills included Retail, Nursing, Languages,

Management and Child Care.

Fig.9.2 What skills do you have?

9.4 Access to learning and skills

Local people were also asked to consider any factors which would

make it easier for them to take part in training courses or classes.

It was the availability of courses locally that dominated the

feedback. One-quarter of respondents called for courses to be

located locally, while some suggested their location at the Library

(4%) of Carrick Academy Community Wing (2%). Many of the

other suggestions noted in Figure 9.3 relate to ways to improve

access including Courses in the evening (25%), Better advertising,

Free courses (12%), Childcare (9%), Timing (5%), and Free

Transport (4%).

Fig.9.3 What would make it easier to take part in training courses?

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9.5 Desired learning

Finally, respondents were then asked to consider what kind or

courses or classes they would like to take.

The most frequently suggested course was in Computing (29%),

with ECDL (European Computer Driving License) also featuring

prominently.

Within this priority list hobby classes dominated, such as Craft

(11%), Languages, Art (8%), Cookery (5%) and Woodworking (4%).

Many also simply indicated that they would like to see Anything

for fun (16%).

The ten most common suggestions are provided in Figure 9.4.

Outside of this list, and less commonly mentioned were

Photography/Photoshop, Business Start-up, First Aid, Child

minding and Administration.

Fig.9.4 What courses would you like to take?

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10. Community

Involvement in

Maybole

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10.1 Community activity in Maybole

The project examined the current level of organised community

and group-based activity in Maybole.

The research found almost 80 regular group meetings, activities

and events occurring on a regular basis in local venues including:

The Carrick Centre

Town Hall

Speakers Social Club

Well-trees Inn

Scout Hall

Maybole Baptist Church

Swimming Pool

Carrick Academy Community Wing

Carrick Academy Pitches

These main activities are listed and venues mapped on the

following pages.

10.2 Volunteering in Maybole

Community life in Maybole depends on the contribution of local

volunteers that support local groups and activity.

As part of the survey local people were asked if they currently

volunteered locally or would like to at some point.

The findings from the survey suggest that 28% of Maybole

residents currently take part in some form of volunteering and a

further 4% said they would like to.

When asked where they currently volunteer, the responses

identified a number of common venues/activities:

Carrick Centre

Schools

Churches

Sports Coaching

Charity Shops

Bowling clubs

Local charities

Uniformed groups

Local hospital/hospice

Youth groups

Older peoples groups

The very small minority of respondents that indicated an interest

in taking up volunteering generally found it difficult to be specific,

suggesting some need for further information and clarity on the

options available.

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Map 10

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10.3 Involvement in local decision-making

Looking more broadly at participation in community life and

decision-making, local people were asked to rate from ‘Zero’ to

‘Ten’ how involved they felt they were in decision-making in

Maybole (‘Zero’ being they did not feel involved at all, to ‘Ten’

they feel completely involved).

Generally respondents considered themselves to have very limited

involvement in decision-making. The findings presented in Figure

10.1 shows that they most frequently rated involvement as ‘zero’,

no involvement at all.

Fig.10.1 How would rate your level of involvement in local decision

making?

Respondents were then asked to suggest the best way to let you

know what’s going on locally (as a basis potentially to get more

involved in community life and decision-making).

The feedback shown in Figure 10.2 shows that the most frequently

suggested method of communication was via local Newspapers

(69% of respondents). Website (39%), Newsletter (30%), Email

(23%), and Leaflets (22%) also featured prominently.

Fig.10.2 What is the best way to let people know what is going on locally?

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11. Building on Local

Community Assets

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11.1 Priorities for Action

The Asset Mapping study also invited ideas on ways to make

Maybole an even better place to live; in other words, ways to build

on the town’s existing assets.

11.1.1 Priorities for Action

A diverse range of diverse ideas and proposals were put forward

by respondents. The suggestions could be organised into a set of

main priority actions.

The single most frequently suggested idea was to improve life in

Maybole was to build a by-pass around the town (suggested by

59% of respondents). Other commonly voiced ideas included

improvements to leisure facilities (23%), shopping (21%), activities

for young people (15%), and the High Street (12%).

The ‘top 10’ most frequently reported suggestions are shown in

Figure 11.1. What Ideas do you have to improve Maybole?

11.1.2 Mapping the priority actions

As well as asking respondents to talk about their idea, they were

also asked to visually map it where the location of action was

relevant to understand.

This then allowed for thematic maps to be developed for each of

the ten areas of priority action for Maybole:

Priority 1 Map: A By-pass

Priority 2 Map: Leisure facilities

Priority 3 Map: Supermarket and shopping

Priority 4 Map: Activities for young people

Priority 5 Map: The High Street

Priority 6 Map: Parking

Priority 7 Map: Litter

Priority 8 Map: Disused buildings

Priority 9 Map: Roads and pavements

Priority 10 Map: Restaurants and cafes

These priorities and maps (provided on the following pages) offer

a useful starting point towards building on Maybole’s existing

assets.

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Priority Map 1: A By-Pass

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Priority Map 2: Leisure Facilities

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Priority Map 3: Supermarket and Shopping

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Priority Map 4: Activities for Young People

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Priority Map 5: The High Street

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Priority Map 6: Parking

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Priority Map 7: Litter

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Priority Map 8: Disused Buildings

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Priority Map 9: Roads and Pavements

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Priority Map 10: Restaurants and Cafes

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11. A Guide to Action

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11.1 Conclusions

The Maybole Community Assets project emerged from a very

wide range of expectations, concerns, and needs among local

agencies and groups. Common here was the need to better

understand the drivers of health, wellbeing and overall quality of

life in the town. Within this there was significant interest in

unpicking the factors that contributed to the relatively low level of

life expectancy evident particularly among local men.

As might be expected, the project has revealed no single or

straightforward explanation as to what brings longevity of life in

Maybole, or what can prolong it. Scientists and researchers have

been struggling for many decades to piece together the precise

answers to these and related questions.

This study, however, has reinforced a number of main and very

simple messages relating to life in Maybole:

Maybole is generally reported to be a good place to live, with a

sense of neighbourliness, a vibrant community, and many

assets that support community life, health and wellbeing.

People in Maybole generally perceive their health to be good,

although equally there is a strong awareness of the lifestyle

choices and behaviours that adversely affect health (e.g. as

smoking, diet and physical activity, etc.).

The services that are currently available in Maybole (including

health services) generally work well, although there is scope to

bring improvements in a number of areas.

There are a number of priority issues for the town (not least

the construction of a local By-Pass), which are held to be

important to local people and their quality of life, but which do

not always align fully to the priorities of public agencies as set

out in the South Ayrshire Single Outcome Agreement (SOA).

The evidence produced through the study tends to indicate the

importance of adopting a ‘social model’ of health to understand

the issues and areas of intervention in Maybole. This is consistent

with NHS strategy and the widely accepted model, below, which

outlines the main determinants of health.

Figure 11.1: The social determinants of health

Source: Dahlgren and Whitehead

The above model suggests that there are complex, multi-layered

influencing factors that impact on the health of individuals and

communities. Whether people are healthy or not, is determined by

their circumstances and environment. To a large extent, factors

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such as where we live, the state of our environment, genetics, our

income and education level, and our relationships with friends and

family all have considerable impacts on health, whereas the more

commonly considered factors such as access and use of health

care and related services often have less of an impact.

11.1 Actions: The Starting Point

What does this research then mean for local agencies and groups

that want to act to improve health, improve life satisfaction, and

extend life in Maybole?

The simple answer is, listen and act on people’s concerns and do

so in a way that draws on the existing strengths of the town. The

ten most frequently cited priorities for improving life for Maybole

residents were outlined in the previous section:

Priority 1: A By-pass

Priority 2: Improved leisure facilities

Priority 3: Bigger supermarket and more shops

Priority 4: Activities for young people

Priority 5: High Street regeneration

Priority 6: Better/increased parking

Priority 7: Litter bins and removal

Priority 8: Redevelop disused buildings

Priority 9: Improvements to roads and pavements

Priority 10: More restaurants and cafes

These priorities are best addressed in a collaborative, ‘asset-based

way’. In other words, in a way that is community-led, long-term,

and open-ended. A mobilised and empowered community will not

necessarily choose to act on the same issues that health services

or councils see as the priorities. The timescales are longer than

many of the current publicly-funded projects.

It is clear also that not all of the identified issues that will improve

health and quality of life in Maybole can be tackled at once. A

feedback and action planning workshop was held on 13 June in

Maybole, which brought together public sector and community

representatives. This separated out the issues that could be

tackled either in the short, medium or longer term (See Fig. 11.2)

Figure 11.2: Timeline for priority action in Maybole

This recognises that some actions could happen immediately (and

on an ongoing basis), such as litter removal, while others would

take longer to meaningfully progress.

The following combined Action Plan was developed by

participants in the session. It begins to add some detail, but will

need to be developed over time by nominated lead partners for

each of the areas of priority action (See Fig 11.3).

Litter Leisure facilities A By-pass

Roads and pavements Disused buildings Parking

Supermarket and shopping

High street regeneration

Activities for young people

Restaurants and cafes

Short-term Medium-term Long-term

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Figure 11.3: Initial Action Plan

Priority theme What needs to be done?

Who will take lead?

Who will support

Local assets to access?

What SOA themes?

Priority 1:

A By-pass

Detailed Action Plan to be

developed

To be agreed Local people Local people Economic

Development,

Community Safety,

Sustainability

Priority 2:

Improved leisure

facilities

Increased awareness of

current leisure activities

New leisure activities to be

developed

Golf Club redevelopment

Community Council,

South Ayrshire

Council

Volunteers,

Health

Services

Golf Course, Swimming

pool, Volunteers

Health, Alcohol &

Drugs, Safety,

Economic

Development

Priority 3:

Bigger

supermarket

and more shops

Discuss with major

supermarket chains

Explore issue of rents/rates

with local shop owners

Planning issues to be

progressed

Community Council,

South Ayrshire

Council

Shopkeepers,

Community

Economic

Development,

Community Safety,

Sustainability

Priority 4:

Activities for

young people

Increased awareness of

existing youth activities

Community Council,

South Ayrshire

Council, Carrick

Centre

Youth groups Community Wing,

Carrick Centre, Youth

Cub, Schools, Town

Hall, Volunteers, Green

Space, Pool

Community Safety,

Health, Alcohol and

Drugs

Priority 5:

High Street

regeneration

Continuation of

improvement actions

Better communication of

what’s already being done

Community Council,

Shopkeepers

Community Shops, Community

spirit

Economic

Development,

Sustainability,

Health

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Priority 6:

Better/increased

parking

Linked to action plan for

development of a By-pass

(Priority Action 1)

To be agreed Local people Local people Economic

Development,

Community Safety,

Sustainability

Priority 7: Litter

bins and

removal

Awareness raising ‘pride in

the community’ campaign

Review of litter bin

placement

Community litter picking

South Ayrshire

Council, Community

Council

Community,

Shopkeepers

Community spirit,

Volunteers, Parks and

green spaces

Community Safety,

Sustainability

Priority 8:

Redevelop

disused

buildings

Identification of priority

buildings

Plans for regeneration of

buildings to be developed

South Ayrshire

Council, Community

Council

Community Disused buildings Economic

Development,

Community Safety

Priority 9:

Improvements

to roads and

pavements

Community Council to

discuss plan of action

Community Council South Ayrshire

council

Existing Council

resources

Economic

Development

Priority 10: More

restaurants and

cafes

To be agreed To be agreed To be agreed To be agreed Health, Economic

Development

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